CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — There’s a different kind of buzz surrounding the start of classes this year
at Circleville High School.

Something big and new awaits the 620 students, some of whom sit in the same classrooms their
grandparents did in the mid-1960s.

Construction of the adjacent building of beige, brown, gray and red brick — the halls soon to be
painted red and lined with black lockers — is cause for anticipation and smiles.

“I’m so excited about the new school,” said Allie Styers, a 15-year-old sophomore. “Our old
building is kind of disgusting.”

The $23 million reincarnation of Circleville High is progressing on schedule toward its planned
Jan. 8 opening, with Superintendent Kirk McMahon unable to hide his enthusiasm as he tours the
building.

The 603-seat auditorium and 1,330-seat gymnasium are framed out, the maze of pipes for the
geothermal heating and cooling system is in place, and the wiring to support digital education is
being strung.

“This is great!” McMahon said. “This is our one shot to do it right — and we are.”

The high school is the centerpiece of the $65 million rebirth of the city schools, with a
1,100-student elementary school under construction a quarter-mile to the north to open for the
2014-15 school year. The current high school will be razed to build a middle school to open for the
2015-16 school year.

State funds are picking up 42 percent of the tab, but Circleville district residents will part
with $232 in property taxes per $100,000 of property value over 37 years to pay off the bonds
financing the project.

The district has raised $2.3 million toward $3.3 million in donations sought for naming rights
to build a top-rate athletic complex for the Tigers sports teams.

The new schools are the talk of the town — and among students.

As a senior, 17-year-old Samantha Stevens will spend but one semester in the new high school,
but her three younger siblings will enjoy the new classrooms for years to come.

“I’m very excited ... and it will be air-conditioned — that’s a plus,” Stevens said.

“There’s going to be a lot more technology in bigger classrooms,” said sophomore Jarred Utt, 15.
“We will all have a better educational experience in the new building.”